Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

I've been hearing a lot about this book the last few months, and it seems everyone but me has read it. It's nothing new- in fact, I'm sure most of you will exclaim, "What, Mandy? You haven't read that yet?" I know, I know. I'm a little slow.

I first heard Tim Conway talking about it, and I knew it was something I had to get my hands on.

And guess what- it's available for free download in both PDF from this site (so you can read it on your computer) and "audio book" MP3 (so you can listen to it on your computer or phone!).

There are many different sites that offer this book for free MP3 download, here are two:

Booksshouldbefree.com offers an ipod/itunes download, as well as an MP3 download with zips all the chapters into one file.

LibriVox allows you to download each chapter on its own, which is especially helpful if you have a phone like mine, which easily gets close to it's data limit. That way you can download as you go and delete as you finish.(Plus, they offer downloads in small and large bytes, so whichever suits you best.)

I want to mention that I have no affiliation with these sites and do not necessarily support the information they provide within their sites.

And hey, while you're at it, do a little read-up on John Bunyan! He has an amazing testimony!

For those of you who, like me, haven't read this treasured book, here's a little information on it:

Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in two parts, the first of which was published in London in 1678 and the second in 1684. He began the work in his first period of imprisonment, and probably finished it during the second. The earliest edition in which the two parts combined in one volume came in 1728. A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693, and was reprinted as late as 1852. Its full title is The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come.

The Pilgrim's Progress is arguably one of the most widely known allegories ever written, and has been extensively translated. Protestant missionaries commonly translated it as the first thing after the Bible.
(Wiki)

Pilgrim's Progress is a great work of Christian literature. Originally composed in the 17th century, this spiritual allegory has entertained and delighted innumerous readers for over 300 years. Part I tells of "Christian" and his journey to "Celestial City;" Part II tells of the journey of Christian's wife Christiana and their children to Celestial City. The two parts work together as a unified whole, which describes and depicts the believer's life and struggles. Indeed, given the easy style of the book, readers of all ages can understand the spiritual significance of the depictions in the story. However, Pilgrim's Progress does not simply instruct readers with spiritual allegories; it entertains them as well, through Bunyan's creative story telling. Enjoyable and spiritually instructive, Pilgrim's Progress is highly recommended.
(Christian Classics Ethereal Library)